1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator which includes a rack assembly selectively drawn out of a cooling chamber so that food items put on a rack of the rack assembly can be easily taken out or checked.
2. Description of the Background Art
In general, a refrigerator is divided into a freezing chamber for storing an ice container for making ice and frozen food and a cooling chamber for storing chilled food, and a refrigerating cycle for supplying cool air to the freezing chamber and the cooling chamber is provided in the refrigerator.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional refrigerator, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the conventional refrigerator.
As shown, the conventional refrigerator 10 includes a freezing chamber 14 formed at an upper side of a main body 12, for storing frozen food; a cooling chamber 16 formed at a lower side of the main body 12, for storing food containers 16a and 16b or chilled food; and a door 18 disposed in front of the main body 12 to be opened or closed.
A plurality of racks 20 on which the food containers 16a, 16b are put are horizontally mounted at an upper side of the cooling chamber 16, and a vegetable container 22 is installed at a lower side of the cooling chamber 16.
The rack has a quadrangular flat plate shape, and its end 20a is inserted in a guide groove 24 formed at a side surface of the cooling chamber 16.
In the conventional refrigerator 10 having such a structure, a plurality of food containers 16a, 16b are put on the racks 20 to be stored.
However, as for the conventional refrigerator 10, it is very difficult to draw the rack 20 on which the food containers 16a, 16b are put from the cooling chamber 16 because the end 20a of the rack 20 is inserted in the guide groove 24.
Accordingly, in case that many food containers 16a and 16b are stored on the rack 20 and thus the food container 16b put on a rear side of the rack 20 is hidden by the food container 16a put on a front side of the rack, it is difficult to check or take out the food container 16b. In order to take out or check the food container 16b put on the rear side of the rack 20 in the above-described state, the food container 16a put on the front side of the rack should be taken out first. For this reason, inconvenience is caused, and time is undesirably consumed.
In addition, because the end of the rack is directly inserted in the guide groove without any special vibration preventing member, vibration generated by a compressor or the like in operation of the refrigerator is directly transmitted to the rack, which may cause vibration noise and undesirably move food containers put on the rack to thereby drop the containers.